It’s not quite a chicken-or-egg puzzle, but when to play and when to rest becomes a significant dilemma at this point of the baseball season. Yankees catcher Brian McCann wants to be there for every moment of the final push. But the reality of rest must intervene.
“You just have to be smart about it,” said McCann who received a day off Friday from manager Joe Girardi during the Subway Series with the Mets. “He’s been amazing with me all year giving me rest. He just picks spots to give me a breather.”
So Girardi picked Friday against the Mets lefty starter Steven Matz to rest the lefty-hitting McCann. And the move looked brilliant Saturday.
McCann slugged a two-run homer, extending his personal best total to 26 for the season, as part of the Yankees’ assault against Mets rookie Noah Syndergaard in a 5-0 victory at Citi Field.
“Resting helps when you can. It helps the guys feel better,” Girardi said.
No arguments from McCann, who along with Carlos Beltran (three-run blast in the first) did their share to try to cover the power void created by the injury loss of Mark Teixeira and the absence of Alex Rodriguez in a DH-less game. McCann, who leads all major league catchers in homers, unloaded in the sixth for a 5-0 lead as the Yankees kept their dim AL East title hopes alive.
“This was very big. From here on out, every game you play is big. We’re trying to win as many games as possible and see where we fall,” said McCann who entered in a 2-for-18 funk over his past six games before turning on a 98-mph Syndergaard offering. “It means more to get a win and that’s what we’re trying to do here. We need to keep winning ball games.”
McCann is doing his part on both sides. Beyond his power, there is the work he does with the Yankees’ parade of pitchers who, with the constants call-ups all season, virtually have equaled the population of Dallas in numbers.
“It’s why communication is huge,” McCann said. “The more you talk, the more you’re going to get comfortable with somebody. We’ve got a lot of young talent and they’re getting put in spots they’ve never been in and they’re succeeding.”
McCann shows confidence in them: “The minute we meet I tell them, ‘Feel free to shake me off.’ For me when you’re pitching, it’s about conviction in a pitch.”
And the pitchers, veterans and rookies, have confidence in McCann.
“He’s a big target, a positive guy. He’s going to give you the energy to be up for the task and he’s always thinking ahead,” said Dellin Betances, one of six relievers who followed starter and winner Michael Pineda (11-8). “He’s going to most likely call the right pitch, and you’ve just got to trust him and hit your spots.”
